2NEWS Investigation: Farm subsidies going to dead people

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Farm subsidies help farmers get through tough seasons and encourages them to grow certain crops.

So why are millions of dollars in subsidies going to people who are dead?

Don Drury loves farming.

"I get to grow really good food for good people," said Drury of Bootstrap Farm.

He brings his goods from Yale, Oklahoma to the Brookside Farmers Market. Drury says farming can have its ups and downs, depending on mother nature. If the crop isn't as great, subsidies can help farmers out.

"The farm subsidies are mainly for the mono-crops, you know, corn and wheat and things like that," said Lisa Brandborg, the market manager for the Brookside and Cherry Street Farmers Markets.

She says most of the food you see at the farmers markets aren't eligible for subsidies. Fruits and veggies aren't included in the subsidy program, just commodity crops like wheat, corn, soy beans and sorghum.

"So there's a financial disincentive for me to grow healthy food," said Drury.

But that's just one of Drury's and Brandborg's frustrations. The 2NEWS Investigators obtained the 25-page report done by the Government Accountability Office on the USDA program. The GAO report found "$22 million in subsidies and allowances may have been provided.. to policyholders two or more years after their death."